Moving picture projecting machine



March 4, 1941. A HEURTIER 2,233,839

' MOVING PICTURE PROJECTING MACHINE Filed June 2, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 21 43 IWENFOQ:

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a' 2% mm March 4, 1941. A. HEURTIER MOVING PICTURE PROJECTING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATToQA/EY Patented Mar. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES MOVING PICTURE PRDJECTING MACHINE Antoine Heurtier, Saint-Etienne, France Application June 2, 1939, Serial No. 277,091 In France June 10, 1938 3 Claims. (Cl. 2712.3)

My invention relates to an improved moving picture projecting machine'adapted to operate with cinematograph film strips of different widths, viz 8 millimeters, 9.5 millimeters and 16 I millimeters.

It is known that the three conventional types of films known as 8, 9.5 and 16 millimeter films differ from each other not only by their width, but also by the shape and the location of their 10 driving perforations. The 8 millimeter film is perforated on one side only, the 16 millimeter film on both sides, while the 9.5 millimeter film is provided with transverse slits located between the successive pictures. The height of each picture also varies and the elementary motion of the film is therefore to be varied.

A first object of my invention is to provide a machine wherein the gearing controlling the step-by-step motion of the film may easily be 20 adjusted to the dimensions and perforations thereof.

A further object of my invention is to provide an apparatus comprising a number of film driving sprockets with means to bring into action the one corresponding to the film projected.

In the annexed drawings:

Fig. 1 is a general side view of a machine according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the rotatable film driv- 30 ing member.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section thereof.

Fig. 4 is a partial transverse sectional'view showing the film advancing mechanism'and its controlling gear.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section corresponding to Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an external side view showing the controlling device for the motion of the film advancing mechanism.

o The machine illustrated comprises (Fig. 1) a projecting apparatus proper I, a system of lenses 2, a film advancing mechanism generally referenced l, and two sprocket devices generally referenced 4, these latter devices being supported 45 by a frame 5 which carries the usual film reels,

not shown.

Each sprocket device (Figs. 2 and 3) comprises an inner driving shaft I rotatably supported by a cylindrical bearing I fixed to frame 5, the

so said shaft 9 being continuously driven by means not shown. Bearing I forms a pivot rotatably carrying a circular plate 8 having an outer cover 9 and rotatably supporting three spindles i9. Shaft t terminates short of cover 9 and carries 55 a pinion H which meshes with gear wheels I! keyed on spindles It. The latter project through cover 9, as shown, and support film sprockets II each adapted to drive a determined type of film. Plate 8 has a hub it having a radial bore Ii housing a ball l8 pressed inwardly against bear- 5 ing I by a spring I1 and bearing 1 has three corresponding depressions by means of which plate 8 may be elastically locked at three equidistant angular positions about the axis of shaft 5. Cover 9 supports loose film rollers It, as 10 shown.

Cover 9 also carries, coaxially with respect to shaft 6, a screw l9 forming a pivot for a starshaped member 20 having three tails or branches projecting between the successive sprockets I8 (Fig. 2). Member is normally retained at the proper angular position about screw [-9, with respect to plate 8, by a ball 2| urged by a spring 22 into a depression provided on the inner end face of the said member. A milled screw 2120 closes a bore 24 adapted to house the head of screw I9 and serves as a knob to rotate member 20.

' As shown in Fig. 1 the film strip 25 is passed over the uppermost sprocket of the upper sprock- 5 et device and over the lowermost sprocket of the lower sprocket device and it is retained on each of the said sprockets by the corresponding central star-shaped member 29 and by the idlers it. It will be easily understood that in a given 30 device plate 8 may be rotated at will to bring into active position the desired sprocket, i. e. the one corresponding to the type of film to be dealt with. It is also clear that member 20 can be rotated on plate 8 through a limited angle, 35,

which facilitates disposing the film stripas required before the projection without scratching the same on the driving teeth of the corresponding sprocket, the said member being thereafter returned to its normal position.

Member 20 is grooved as shown at 26 (Fig. 2) to accommodate the teeth of the sprockets and there is provided an abutment 21 to limit the opening angle of the said member. The latter is shown in Fig. 2 at the disengaged or opened position. i

The film advancing mechanism (Figs. 4 and 5) comprises a continuously rotating shaft 2| driven by means not shown, the said shaft carrying three cams 29 within a cylindrical casing Ill. The latter slidably houses a piston-like member or slide 3| prevented from rotating by a nose 32 engaging a longitudinal groove 33 in casing 30. Slide Si is integral with a hollow tail 34 having an external screw-thread 35 which screws 31 is rotated slide II is axially displaced within casing III.

Slide Ii has a transverse elongated opening or slit forming a guide for a fiat lever l I. The latter has an enlarged central portion provided with a rectangular opening 42 (Fig. 4) through which cams 28 are passed and it is urged upwardly against the same by a spring 43. lever I has also near its end an elongated opening 44 through which is passed a rod 45 carried by an arm 46 adiustably fixed on a lever 41 which is rotatable about a circular projection 4! (Fig. 5) co-axial with shaft 2|. Lever 41 carries an abutment I! (Fig. 4) which bears against an adjusting screw 50 under the action of a spring ll downwardly acting on lever 41. The right end of lever ll is urged upwardly by an additional spring 52 which prevents noise due to transverse play of rod 45 within opening 44.

Lever ll carries at its left end teeth I! adapted to advance the film 25 as it will be more fully explained below.

The above-described member 31 is provided with three radial grooves M (Fig. 6) adapted to accommodate a finger 55 (Figs. 5 and 6) carried by a knob 56 fixed to the end of a rod 51 the other end of which is formed as a piston ll urged by a spring 59 within casing 30. Shaft 28 carries a cup-shaped member 60 which rotates close to the outer end face of member 31 thus preventing finger 55 from being withdrawn from grooves 54 except when the angular position of shaft 28 is such that a notch ii provided in the said cup-shaped member ill is located in front of finger 55. Since member has but one notch, it will easily be grasped that member 31 can only be rotated when shaft 28 is at standstill at a determined angular position permitting finger 55 to be disengaged by pulling knob 56.

It will be understood that when member 31 is rotated, slide II is moved axially within casing 30, together with lever ll. For each of the three angular positions of member 3! correspond. ing to the three grooves 54, lever ii is thus positioned in the plane of one of earns 29 and is given a determined oscillating motion corresponding to a determined type of film strip. The lateral displacement of lever ll is also such that for each position of member 31 the appropriate tooth or teeth 53 are so positioned as to cooperate with the film strip. In the example illustrated, lever ll is flat and carries three teeth 53 in the same vertical plane. For a 16 millimeter mm teeth 53 only act on one row of lateral perforations, which is without inconvenience. For an 8 millimeter film they act on the single lateral row of perforations provided in such film strips, and for a 9.5 millimeter film they cooperate with the central slits provided between the successive pictures.

It will also be understood that the cup-shaped member '0 is so adjusted on shaft 28 that finger 54 can only be disengaged when lever 4| bears on such a part of cams 29 that it may be slid from any cam to another one without difilculty, i. e., on a part of cams 29 where the radius is the same for the three cams.

I claim:

-1. In a moving picture projecting machine adapted to operate with several types of film strips, film driving means comprising a continuously rotating shaft; a plate rotatable co-axially with said shaft a pinion at the end of said shaft; spindles rotatably carried by said plate; pinions on said spindles in mesh with said first-named pinion; sprockets keyed on said spindles, each of said sprockets being adapted to a type of film strip; means to guide a film strip in engaging relation with each of said sprockets; and means to retain said plate in a number of positions corresponding to the active position of each of said sprockets.

2. In film driving means as claimed in claim 1, said guiding means comprising a member secured on said plate in co-axial relation with the same, said member being formed with extensions extending close to each of said sprockets, each of said extensions having grooves to accommodate the teeth of said sprockets.

3. In film driving means as claimed in claim 1, said guiding means comprising a member se cured on said plate in co-axial relation with the same, said member being formed with extensions adapted to extend close to each of said sprockets; and means to displace angularly said member with respect to said plate.

' ANTOINE HEURTIER. 

